No mention of what chip is being used, DTS Downmix, DTS-HD/TrueHD Bitstreaming, etc... UI on Amazon looks blah

Box Office is optimized for full 1080P HD video playback, includes the latest in video processing technology, and a Dolby®/DTS™ encoder to create a stunning HD video and 5.1/7.1 channel surround sound experience on your home entertainment system.

It depends on the make/model of the fan they used and how the software controls it. If it's a high speed fan and it just runs flat-out all the time, then it's probably going to annoy most people. If it's a quiet, low-speed fan or they're using temp-based PWM control through software, it shouldn't be a problem.

Honestly, the fan probably isn't needed at all. The device can only take a 2.5" laptop drive, and they don't make that much heat. It all depends on whether their thermal design requires the fan to cool the processor. If not (like in the Ultio), I'd just disable the fan completely.

From the unboxing video via Youtube it appears you can open the device fairly easy. It should not require a great effort to disable the fan, should fan noise become an issue. UI is important for me! I hope we will learn more about the GUI of the Patriot.
I do plan on getting the WD-TV2 however these other NMT devices each have their own set of problems and positives. If for now WDTV LIve features the best PQ then I would rather own it over other Media Players.

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I do plan on getting the WD-TV2 however these other NMT devices each have their own set of problems and positives. If for now WDTV LIve features the best PQ then I would rather own it over other Media Players.

I'm on the same boat. Still need more time to see Patriot B O's reviews coming out before I pull the trigger which one is the best for me.

i sent an email too .. seems like the unit does support downmix, asked about the fan noise and they said it's a low rotational smart fan and I quote "no where near audiable". haha i hope that's the case, can't wait to paly with it when it ships.

The gizmodo.com article is a "shoot out" comparison of the Patriot, WD, Seagate, Netgear and Popcorn Hour devices. Here's what it says about the Patriot.

Quote:

This was the dark horse of the group, being a late entry by a company known only for computer memory. I was surprised at how well it held up. It actually could decode more tested formats than any other device in this lineupit did Flash video (FLV), which the three above can't render. Only the WD and the Patriot show you video previews, too. As small as it is, there's a space for a 2.5" SATA drive in there, and even a BitT0rrent client. You can copy files to and from different drives and the network, and it's the cheapest of the lot, at $130.

So why did it come in a distant 3rd? Unlike the three above, it can't read Mac formatted hard drives, and its video quality was noticeably the worst of the batch. That said, if you are a hacker sort and want something to play with that doesn't cost as much as Popcorn, set your sights on this.

Here's the conclusions of the hardwaresecrets review, though the full article is worth a look; it contains some good photos.

Quote:

Conclusions

The Patriot can pull your digital media from a variety of devices including a USB drive, a network device and the internal drive. It is truly a multi-functional device with good support for a large variety of multi-media formats. Although the plain interface won't knock your socks off, it is functional and easy to use. The fact that you can add your own hard drive is a great feature.

Oh no! Thats not good news by any means. I already picked up the WDTV Live and am happy with it but was looking forward to the Patriot Box Office. If its PQ suffers then it wont matter how many formats it plays.

Oh no! Thats not good news by any means. I already picked up the WDTV Live and am happy with it but was looking forward to the Patriot Box Office. If its PQ suffers then it wont matter how many formats it plays.

The original review didn't mention the specifics about PQ issue. But I didn't see much PQ difference between the boxes using Sigma chipset and those using RealTek chipset.

This thread indicated some kind of inferior PQ of the Asus O!Play compared to the WD HD Live. And I read somewhere (I can't find it now) that the Patriot and Asus are essentially "the same".

I have an Elektron EHP606 (basically a PCH clone) and a CinemaTube. Both of them are connected to a Samsung 52A550 TV via HDMI cables. I played several 1080P and 1080i contents with two players and performed a blind A/B test. None of my friends could tell the difference between two boxes.